Crotch formation in foundation garments



NOV. 11, 1952 s, wElNTRAUB 2,617,101

CROTCH FORMATION IN FOUNDATION GARMENTS Filed Oct. 50 1951 Patented Nov. 11,1952

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CROTCH FORMATION IN FOUNDATION GARMENTS 4 Claims.

This invention relates to undergarments generally referred to as girdles or the like.

Garments of the above nature are substantially tubular in form, the wearer putting the garment on by stepping through the top opening and pulling it up. Such garments may or may not have a crotch portion. This invention is particularly concerned with girdles having a built-in crotch portion.

It is highly desirable that the crotch of the girdle be detachable or displaceable in order to permit body functions without requiring the removal of the girdle. In the past, crotch portions were generally made detachable with a line of fasteners or the like, which connected across the lower face or transversely of the groin area of the girdle body. Some crotch portions were made displaceable instead of detachable but the connection line was still transverse of the girdle body. However, such a transverse line of connections has been found to be uncomfortable and even unsightly often being seen through the outer garments. The reason for this is that the connection line extends along the curvature of the body and tends to bunch up as the girdle is worn, cramping the body of the wearer and often exhibiting an unsightly series of bulges.

With the foregoing in mind, I have devised a crotch portion for a girdle which may be displaced to allow for body functions or the like but wherein its connection line to the girdle body runs downwardly along the inner thighs of the user. As a consequence, the connection line cannot bunch up because it extends vertically along a straight line rather than along a curved line as did the prior types. This result is accomplished by providing a front, somewhat bifurcated panel, two lines of connections extending down the diverging edges thereof. The panel is further arranged so that it tends to curve inwardly under the crotch whereby the connection lines assume a comfortable position. A rear panel, having a pair of complementary connection lines disposed in a straight transverse line, is provided for closing the crotch portion.

'The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an undergarment constructed according to the instant invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the displacement of the crotch portion and exposing the underside of the front panel thereof;

Figure 3 is a rear fragmentary view of the garment with the crotch rear panel shown depending therefrom;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view, partly broken away, taken substantially along the lines 44 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, partly broken away, taken substantially along the lines 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view of a blank of material from which the lower front panel is formed.

The garment I9 may assume the conventional form of a foundation garment as illustrated in Figure 1. It is generally formed with body panels which may have different degrees and types of elasticity and which may be further provided with stiffening bones or steels as is well-known.

The crotch portion of the garment is formed by lower front panel I I and rear panel I2. Front panel I i has a left section I3 and a right section It which are joined along approximately of their inner edges, such joined edges being designated as I5, Eda in the drawings, such edges I5 and I5a being the respective joined portion of the inner edges of sections I3 and I l. The remaining inner or lower central edges I6 and I1 diverge and are respectively provided with lines of fasteners I8 and I9 along the inside or underside thereof.

Front panel sections I3 and It are of special form designed to insure comfort to the wearer.

Panel I4 is a reflection of panel I3 and is illus- 'trated in Figure 6 before it is sewn into the garment. It will be observed that edge portion or line [5a thereof is concave. When this line is sewn to the opposing line I5 of the panel I3, a greater fullness of material appears along the point 9, 9a (90, being the corresponding joined point of panel section I3) which represents the diverging point of the edges I5 and Il. This greater fullness causes point 9, 9a to curve inwardly under the crotch taking the diverging edges I6 and I! with it and causing such edges to run substantially vertically down the inside of the thigh when the garment is worn.

Rear panel I2 is five sided and has a top arcuate edge 20 which is sewn to the back of the garment. Its side edges 2I and 22 are concave in order to better fit the leg of the wearer. It is formed with an apex 23 at its free, outer extremi ty, adjacent to its lower edge 28.

The outer face of rear panel I2 has a snap fastener 24 on the apex 23 thereof and which is designed to mate with a complementary snap fastener 25 on the inside face of panel II. It is also formed with two sets of fasteners 26 and 21 across the lower end thereof, each set being in a horizontal straight line and in alignment with the other set.

The garment as above described is utilized as follows:

The wearer may put on the garment in the usual way with the crotch portion either open or closed. Assuming that it is open, the crotch portion is closed by first fastening together the fasteners 24 and 25. The edges l6 and 11, provided with the lines of fasteners 18 and I9, tend to bend inwardly and assume a vertical disposition along the respective inner thighs of the wearer. The lines of fasteners 26 and 21 also assume this disposition because panel 12 tends to fold along the center thereof when it is brought up to effect the connection between the fasteners 24 and 25. Accordingly, the line of fasteners 26 may be hooked to the line of fasteners l9 and the line of fasteners 21 may be hooked to the line of fasteners [8. The hooked lines of fasteners then run downwardly along the inside of the leg instead of across the groin as in prior devices. As a result, no fasteners can be evident or discernible through the outer garments. A greater degree of comfort is also afforded the wearer and bunching of the fastener lines is minimized if not entirely avoided.

It is recognized that it is desirable to permit laundering of the crotch portion without requiring the whole garment to be laundered. Accord ingly, I provide four fasteners 38, 3|, 32 and 33, on the inside face of rear panel 12. These fasteners are of the same type as 2 and they permit a separate piece of fabric, not shown, to be connected thereto, which fabric can be easily removed, and then laundered and replaced.

What is claimed is:

l. A foundation garment comprising a main body of substantially tubular form and a crotch portion therefor, said crotch portion comprising a front panel formed of two connected front sections, each of said front sections having a concavely curved inside edge, said inside edges being sewn together at the lower center of the garment, said front panel having a pair of diverging edges below said sewn together inside edges, two rows of fasteners respectively disposed along said diverging edges and parallel thereto, a rear panel connected to and depending from the rear portion of the body, said rear panel having two substantially horizontally aligned rows of fasteners along the lower edge thereof for respective connection to the rows of fasteners of said diverging edges.

2. A foundation garment according to claim 1 and including a fastener on said rear panel between said two aligned rows and vertically spaced therefrom, and a fastener complementary thereto on the inside face of said front panel above the diverging edges thereof.

3. A foundation garment comprising a main body of substantially tubular form and a crotch portion therefor, said crotch portion comprising a front panel formed of two connected front sections, each of said front sections having a concavely curved inside edge,- said inside edges being sewn together at the lower center of the garment, said front panel having a lower, center pair of diverging edges below said sewn together inside edges, two rows of fasteners respectively disposed along said diverging edges and parallel thereto, and a rear panel connected to and depending from the rear portion of the body, said rear panel having fasteners disposed substantially horizontally on the lower edge thereof for connection to the fasteners of said diverging edges.

4. A foundation garment comprising a main body of substantially tubular form and a crotch portion therefor, said crotch portion comprising a front panel having a lower, central pair of diverging edges, two rows of fasteners respectively disposed alon said divergin edges and parallel thereto, and a rear panel connected to and depending from the rear portion of the body, said rear panel having fasteners disposed substantially horizontally on the lower edge thereof for connection to the fasteners of said diverging edges, said rear panel fasteners being divided into two substantially horizontally aligned rows, each row being adapted for respective connection to the rows of fasteners of said diverging edges, a fastener on said rear panel between said two substantially horizontally aligned rows of fasteners thereon and a complementary fastener for mating therewith disposed on the inside face of said front panel above the diverging edges thereof.

SAM WEINTRAUB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,458,712 Kops Jan. 11, 1949 2,464,121 Diebold Mar. 8, 1949 2,478,263 Geltz Aug. 9, 1949 

